Handwork (a posting from Lisa Cadora)

To see the crochet stitches, go to www.knit heaven.com.  Though it does say "knit", there are illustrated crochet directions and patterns as well. I'm sure there are YouTube videos available with instructions as well.

Parents who are doing this at home:

* Be sure your child has the right size hook for the kind of yarn they are using. A slightly larger hook with a slightly smaller yarn works well for starters.

* Some yarns are more difficult to work with than others because the strands separate easily.

* It's helpful to do the second row of single crochet stitches for the child as the first row of chain stitches is difficult to hold and twists easily, causing the foundation to be off from the start.

* A fun pattern to look up online is "The Magic Square" which involves only single stitches in a continous round that really do turn into a square eventually! Fun!

* The ear warmer directions are as follows:

Row 1 Chain stitch length just short of circumference of the head (you want to leave room for stretch)

Row 2 Turn and single crochet back across; chain one and turn

Row 3 Repeat row 2

Row 4 Repeat row 2; at the end of the row, chain TWO and turn

Row 5 Double Crochet in the top of the second single crochet from row 3.
>chain one, skip the next single crochet, double chain in the top of the next single crochet<repeat >< until you come to the end of the row; chain one and turn

Row 6 Single chain in the top of each double chain from row 5 and in the single chain in-between spaces from row 5 all the way across; chain one and turn

Row 7 Single chain all the way across; chain one and turn

Row 8 Repeat row 7 and tie off.

"Doing Words," ages 5-7 (a posting by Lisa Cadora)

Last Friday (October 21) at Great River, I worked with the "Youngers" on a version of Charlotte Mason's Transcription and Dictation that I came across in my Language and Literacy grad program. I read of the work of Sylvia Ashton-Warner, a New Zealand-born educator who worked with the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Maoris, in helping them develop what she called a "key vocabulary." This vocabulary, built on the people's "native imagery," formed the basis for imparting all aspects of orthography (written language) -- letter formation, spaces between words, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, etc. Sylvia's ideas were later developed into a program called "Doing Words" by Katie Johnson.

The idea is that in listening to children's spontaneous narration of events in their lives, the adult teaching them can pick out (or have the child pick out) the one word that sums up the experience. This word is often a noun or verb (of course the child doesn't know this and need not at this point) that captures the most emotionally charged point of the narration. It's the word that soaks up all the other details of the story.
Once the word is decided upon, the teacher writes the word slowly, deliberately on sentence strip, drawing the sounds of the word out to match the letters she writes. He models correct formation of letters and leads the child in the appropriate strokes as they trace the letters with the index finger of their dominant hand, or later hold a pencil correctly to do so.

The student then "reads" the word to the teacher and to 2-3 other students, then places it in the basket to be passed around later so that each child can find again his word and read it to the class. Words are then filed in individual envelopes or ziplock bags for each child. ANY WORDS THAT ARE NOT REMEMBERED AT THE END OF THE DAY WHEN THE BASKET IS PASSED ARE LATER DISCARDED. These words have not proved significant enough to be useful to the child.

Envelopes or ziplocks that contain each individual child's accumulated words are gone through once or twice a week and culled for forgotten words. These cards are discretely eliminated so as not to upset the child. While the teacher is working with children one-on-one to get their words the next day, others may get their envelopes out and use their words to illustrate pictures or to tell the stories from which they come to other students.

The teacher refers to students' words during other writing and language experiences of the day as they surface. (S)he may pull a student's word to talk about a certain spelling, or have all student reach into their envelopes to see if they have a word that starts with 't', for example, or has a vowel pattern or 'ea'. Students can put their words together to form sentences or pull their words when they need spellings of them or similar words. There are endless possibilities for these words' use in other language activities.

As children become proficient at writing correct letter forms and sound-letter association, the teacher will enlist them in getting their word down on the sentence strip, guiding their handwriting and collaborating on spelling. (A word about spelling--do not make it all a matter of phonics. English orthography incorporates some consistent letter-sound correspondence; the remaining correspondences have too many exceptions to be remembered by 'rules'. Recalling what the word LOOKS like as well as using what it SOUNDS like helps children develop a visual recall of words they have read in meaningful contexts and lets them explore spelling patterns that have more to do with parts of speech and print consideration than phonics. Help a child spell a word by saying "What does it look like?" and "Where could you see it?" as much as you help them by saying "Sound it out.")

Of course, the next step is the child giving the teacher more than just one word. An entire sentence is next, written collaboratively. After this, one can move onto lined pages with space for illustrations, and then into journals.

My next "Doing Words" session with the Youngers will begin with them finding and "reading" their names, then placing these in zip-log bags. Next, I'll solicit a narration on some common subject from one or two children, modeling getting The Word from them, and then I'll ask parents present to work with 1-2 children in that manner.

Recitation for Ages 8 and Up (a posting from Lisa Cadora)

Most important for Olders, regarding recitation, is to make the piece visually accessible to them. Posting copies of it in prominent, oft-frequented places - so that they can see it and check themselves as they recite - is the way to get 'er done. Of course, reading the piece aloud at meal times (and other in-between times during the day) allows them to experience again the language and ideas within the piece, and invites them to join in where they remember. Let it be relaxed and fun--they'll be sucked in and you will, too.

Not every piece you choose to experience and explore will be ones that pique their interests, but offering pieces to them in this way will furnish their minds with rich language and fruitful ideas, whether or not they memorize the entire piece.

We'll spend the rest of this term on "The Spider and the Fly" and move on to another piece for Term 2. Term 3 ends with a Poetry Picnic--great time to pull out these and any other pieces your children have worked on this year!


The Spider and the Fly
Mary Howett (1799-1888)

"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly;
"'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you may spy.
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to show when you are there."
"Oh no, no," said the little fly; "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."

"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high.
Well you rest upon my little bed?" said the spider to the fly.
"There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest a while, I'll snugly tuck you in!"
"Oh no, no," said the little fly, "for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again who sleep upon your bed!"

Said the cunning spider to the fly: "Dear friend, what can I do
To prove the warm affection I've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome - will you please to take a slice?"
"Oh no, no," said the little fly; "kind sir, that cannot be:
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!"

"Sweet creature!" said the spider, "you're witty and you're wise;
How handsome are your gauzy wings; how brilliant are your eyes!
I have a little looking-glass upon my parlor shelf;
If you'd step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."
"I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you're pleased to say,
And, bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."

The spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready to dine upon the fly;
Then came out to his door again and merrily did sing:
"Come hither, hither, pretty fly, with pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple; there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!"

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer grew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes and green and purple hue,
Thinking only of her crested head. Poor, foolish thing! at last
Up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast;
He dragged her up his winding stair, into the dismal den -
Within his little parlor - but she ne'er came out again!

And now, dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words I pray you ne'er give heed;
Unto an evil counselor close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale of the spider and the fly.

Recitation for Ages 5-7 (a posting from Lisa Cadora)

Hello! Here is the selection for 5-7s for recitation.

This is a perfect selection for this age because of it's repetitive structure ("to buy him" and "But when she came back"), the meter (duh DUH duh duh DUH duh duh DUH duh duh DUH), and the rhyming last words of the 2nd and 4th lines of each stanza.  All of these, in addition to the rather ridiculous images (a dog riding a goat?!), make it easy to memorize and fun to recite.

Read the entire poem aloud, with expression. Repeat the opening stanza and ask them to listen carefully. What do they imagine when they hear the words? What pictures do they get in their heads? Read it again and stop short of the last words on the 2nd and 5th lines. Can they fill those in? Repeat the stanza again, this time stopping short of the last words on the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th lines, waiting on them to supply these words. Finally, read the stanza again and stop short of all last words of each line, waiting for them to supply.

At the end, ask them what they remember of the poem.  Then, read the entire poem again.

OLD MOTHER HUBBARD

Old Mother Hubbard,
Went to the cupboard,
To get her poor dog a bone;
But when she got there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.

She went to the baker's
To buy him some bread,
But when she came back,
The poor dog was dead.

She went to the fruiterer's
To buy him some fruit,
But when she came back,
He was playing the flute.

She went to th fishmonger's
To buy him some fish,
But when she came back
He was licking the dish.

She went to the barber's
To buy him a wig,
But when she came back,
He was dancing a jig.

She went to the cobbler's
To buy him some shoes,
But when she came back,
He was reading the news.

She went to the tailor's
To buy him a coat,
But when she came back,
He was riding a goat.

The dame made a curtsey,
The dog made a bow;
The dame said, "Your servant,"
The dog said, "Bow-wow."

A Sense of Accomplishment!

I am still processing our time with Julie Bogart. She said many things that resonated, shook me, and are rattling in my brain. One of them popped out this morning. She said that one of the downfalls to Unschooling is that there is no sense of accomplishment, or no record of it. Even though I don't consider myself to be Unschooling, I suppose I am in that I don't have a set weekly plan for school. I have found that as a teacher, I work best throwing out the guidebooks (thank you Maura for that tidbit 2 years ago!) and just buying living books & materials that I want to get through eventually in the next 1-2 years. However, Julie is right too, there is not a feeling of accomplishment because my plan is pretty vague.

So today I got inspired to create a very short and simple 1-page tracking device... what my old job would call a dashboard. I have the three subjects that I want to do this year: Bible, Nature Study, and Language Arts. I decided to set realistic goals for this term, to correspond with Term 1 of the Great River. I have 12 checkboxes for each of those subjects, so I know I've done them once a week and then I have lines on the right side of the page, so that I can fill in what books we read, etc.

Time will tell if I can stick to it for the whole year! If I can, I'll be able to see at a glance how much we accomplished this year and what resources we used, which will help me determine what to buy/plan for next year.

Nature Study notes for parents

Nature Study Lesson 1 of 2 : Dry Brush Technique

Supplies :

Prang Watercolors, Semi-moist

Brush # 1 or #2

Small amount of water

Two ply of paper towels, more on hand

Card stock or other paper heavier than copier paper OR your Nature Journal

Note : I have compiled most of this from reading and attending Nature Study workshops at Childlight conferences, mostly from Debra and Holley-Ann Dobbins. Love them. Please check the Childlight blog for excellent posts from Holley Ann about taking Nature Study to Cambodia and integrating Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain ideas.

Dry Brush Technique

We do nature study using the dry brush method. Watercolors are used for the painting, but they are not applied in the common wet-on-wet technique. Instead, minimal water is used so that the paint must be applied slowly and carefully.

Paintbrush : In dry brush, we want to capture lots of details, so we hold our brush like a pencil ( try it ) and we keep our brush end at a neat point. If your brush is treated carelessly and is smashed, it quickly becomes unusable and will have to be replaced. You can keep your brush pointed like a pencil by gently turning the brush on its side on a piece of scratch paper or paper towel.

Water : Painting with the tip of the brush helps you use the proper amount of water. The paints and your brush should be wet enough that the paint slides easily off the brush. However, there should be no puddles in the paint set or on the paper. Puddles in nature study are messes to deal with.

Use a tiny cup of water, because you will need so little water to rinse your brush between colors. If a puddle develops in your paints, gently blot the excess up with a paper towel.

Paint Set :

Remember that your paints are not toy paints. They are artist quality paints and brushes. It would be a good idea to keep them just for the purpose of Nature Study.

The colors in your paint set should be kept clean. You will need to always rinse your brush when you are changing colors. To make a new color, you will use your mixing tray, which is the lid. Save the large center section for mixing green, because that is the most commonly mixed color.

Color Mixing

Note about Green : we have found it best to avoid using Pre Mixed Green that comes with paint sets. ( just remove it from the tray ). That green is NOT the color of any plants , and you will find you can match the green you need for your specimen almost exactly with a bit of practice. In fact, green is what we will learn to mix first.

At the end of your nature study for that day, do not clean your mixing tray off. Let it sit open and dry just the way it is. You can use those colors again another time.

Nature Study Lesson 2 of 2 : Studying Nature

Steps of Nature Study :

1. Find some Nature to be in. Your yard. A park. Hiking trail. Walk for a bit if you are on a trail.

2. Share a scripture .. even if it is short. You or a friend or a parent can read something out loud, or even recite something you have put to memory.

3. Choose something for your study : leaves, acorns, sticks, rocks, flowers, insects, webs, cacoons, seed pods, etc ….

4. Spend your One Minute Observation. No talking during this time, just notice everything you possibly can about the thing you chose.

5. Share your observations with others .. telling back ( narrating ) with words

6. Use your pencil to write the Name, the Latin Name, the Date and the Location in the four corners. You can do this later if you don’t have the information with you ( meaning a field guide or book ). This can make good copy work. Also, a short description of the place, or the day, or who you were with, or a poem or lyric that your child connects with the time can be included on a facing page or another part of the page if it is large enough

7. Use watercolor Dry Brush technique to paint your specimen ( see above ).

We should only paint what we see on our specimens, without adding any other colors or extra things. Try matching colors by mixing as much as you can. Younger students will greatly benefit from an adult helping with a light pencil sketch/outline to guide them. Olders can freehand.

Remember that the point of nature study is not to create a perfect copy of the specimen. It is time to give some full attention to creation, thereby learning more of who the Creator is. Dry Brush watercolors are a great way to slow down and notice the subtleties of creation, but a pencil sketch or colored pencils or watercolor pencils can also bring the same internal results: drinking in beauty and capturing it in the mind.

Great website to check : Handbook of Nature Study ( the above photos were are from this site )

Listen to Debra and Holley-Ann Dobbins presenting a workshop at the Childlight USA conference on Nature Study here. ( scroll down to bottom of page to find them )

Go to Nature Study book : Anna Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study ( shop around and if you can afford it, find a hard cover version ).

I know many of you have other great Nature Study resources to share with us .. and that is what this blog is for, friends ! Share away, please !

Great River Fall Folk Song and Hymn plus Emily Dickinson

Below are the links to our Folk song and Hymn for Fall Term, with an Emily Dickinson piece thrown in for good measure. Information about the songs is for your use only .. you might find a piece of information that makes a good connection to something you are studying or you may want to skip looking for connections and just listen to the music ... your child being able to listen to the songs and learn them without opinions or steering from us is the goal. Blessings on your week. Looking forward to seeing you and singing with you this Friday ! .. Janet

Folk Song : The Ash Grove

Wikipedia link

Listen :

Very slow and simple version. Includes lyrics on screen.

Instrumental version, played by a group called Ballycastle .. lots of bagpipes .. very fun.

Simple version, Nana Mouskouri singing, still slow

The Ash Grove

The ash grove, how graceful, how plainly 'tis speaking,
The harp through it playing has language for me;
Whenever the light through its branches is breaking,
A host of kind faces is gazing on me.
The friends of my childhood again are before me,
Each step wakes a mem'ry, as freely I roam;
With soft whispers laden, its leaves rustle o'er me;
The ash grove, the ashgrove alone is my home.


Down yonder green meadow where streamlets meander
When twilight is fading I pensively roam
Or in the bright noon tide in solitude wander
Amid the dark spaces of that lonely ash grove.
‘Twas there while the black bird was cheerfully singing
I first met my dear one the joy of my heart
Around us for gladness the blue bells were springing
The ash grove, the ash grove that sheltered my home.

Hymn : Shall We Gather at the River

Information about the song

Listen ( choral version )

Shall We Gather at the River Words & Music: Ro­bert Low­ry, 1864

Shall we gather at the river
Where bright angel feet have trod;
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?

CHORUS.

Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river --
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.

On the margin of the river,
Washing up its silver spray,
We will walk and worship ever,
All the happy, golden day.


On the bosom of the river,
Where the Saviour-king we own,
We shall meet, and sorrow never
'Neath the glory of the throne. Cho.


Ere we reach the shining river,
Lay we every burden down;
Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown. Cho.


At the smiling of the river,
Rippling with the Saviour's face,
Saints, whom death will never sever,
Lift their songs of saving grace. Cho.

Soon we'll reach the shining river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease,
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace. Cho.


Fall Poet : Emily Dickinson

Miss Dickinson's poem entitiled Hope was set to music recently by a singersongwriter from Nashville, Tennessee named Julie Lee. You can listen to the song here .

Hope
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Welcome to Great River Community

Birthed from our Charlotte Mason Saturday Morning group, the new Great River Community is officially launched!  We are making final preparations to begin our twice-monthly community instructional days on Friday, September 23rd. 

For those who were not at the meeting today, I thought I might recap a little of the information that we shared.  First - a word or two about the name.  Originally, we called this new community a "co-op."  But then, we read Nancy Kelly's website:  (http://sageparnassus.blogspot.com/2011/08/community-not-co-op.html)

"Our Charlotte Mason community - Truth, Beauty, Goodness - had its first meeting of the new school year.  Notice I said "community" and not "co-op".  That's because the term "co-op" generally connotates a bunch of images that I don't want associated with our group.  Things like harried children, joyless moms, isolated subjects, segregated children, various methods and the like. Instead, we strive for relationships with each of the students, joyful learning, attention as a habit, interested students, clear methods and a unifying philosophy. Our community is a servant to our homeschools, not a master."

Thank you, Mrs. Kelly!  Perfectly stated.  This is exactly what we long for - a relational, joyful community of parents and children, learning together.  So, we are first a "COMMUNITY."

Next, we are "GREAT RIVER."  The Iroquois first named this place "Ohio" - "great river."  It is broad, deep and swift.  It brings life-giving water and nutrients to enrich our land.  It is beautiful and full with life.  It will sweep you up in its current and carry you away, to new places and people, all the while twisting, flowing and alive.  While we admire its depth and beauty, it is also a sculpting force - powerful, transformational.  And it reminds us that our Lord is like this, too: Jesus, the LIVING water who transforms us.  It is everyting we desire our community to become: a GREAT RIVER.

For those families planning to be a part of the Great River Community, we covered a lot of ground at the Parent Meeting today.  Here is the link for ALL the documents from today's meeting:
http://www.mediafire.com/?d4tbodbvmwbou

Two items to note:

- We are in immediate need of two Co-Directors to oversee planning of the 2 Littles groups.  The "job description" is at the link above.  Please prayerfully consider if it might be you. :)

- WORK DAY - Next Saturday (17 Sept) from 8:30-11 at the classroom building.  Please come and help clean up, if you can.  There will be lists of specific jobs to be done.  All supplies will be there.

To all of our friends who were absent today - we missed you. :(

We pray the Lord's blessing be upon each of your families as you begin your school year, home schooling or otherwise.  May God bless you and keep you until we all meet again.

in response to Janet's take-away call

This response to Janet's take-away question began as a "comment," and after I realized how long it was, I thought I would just post it -

I came away from Saturday morning thankful to have "connected" with a not-so-distant member of the CM family, one challenging us to continue the conversation which began years and years ago -

As I reviewed my less than conclusive notes when I returned home, I was further encouraged to read the article in consideration (The Home School by Charlotte Mason) which causes me to now walk with thanks and a deeper understanding of the following four thoughts:

• Once we're in a learning groove, we stop questioning what is good/bad, worthy/unworthy, education/ not education, food/not food. dangerous place. God, show us the way so we can walk in it.
• Bible teaching is perhaps the most valuable instrument of education. Susan asked me on our way home from the meeting what that looks like in my day. "We read scripture at breakfast, and . ? ." was my reply. She had me searching for what else Mason said about it (nice detail in the article, also greater depth found in Home Education Volume 1, pgs.247-253.) very encouraging.
• 5 of the 13 waking hours should be given to a child as their own, 3 of those outside. My students in public school. grade 6. felt this need for time, space, and nature as it would completely make their day when given an "extra recess." you know, the whole 20 minutes of extra. truly. 
• Ambleside Online's Nature Study Schedule has a much more laid back take on hours spent outside: So good reading the varieties of "ways of being," then deciding what is in us to do. I am certain Charlotte Mason is not set to induce guilt but challenge us to live a life closer to nature: more hands-off. - or is that more hands-on? Hmm. Whose hands?
• Finally, Nancy's 4 kinds of "paradigm glue" hit all kinds of nerves in me. So, in conclusion, I will share. 
• be a part of a Charlotte Mason community (attending regular support meetings if possible.)
• read Charlotte Mason's original works (there is no substitute)
• admiration, hope, and love (could spur a potentially unending conversation)
• use the internet sparingly . . . and with that, I say, "goodnight."

Peace to you as you thank God for His beauty in your day and ask Him to lead you, your family, and your dreams for this day, this month, this year.

Nancy Kelly's talk on Saturday

What a great time we had hearing Nancy Kelly speak via Skype on Saturday ! Check out her recap on her blog Sage Parnassus, but while you are there please check out all her great info on her Living Education Retreats, Charlotte Mason on the Prairie, and her co-op Truth, Beauty and Goodness .. to name a few great things. Good article on a CS Lewis book written to children just below the recap of her talk. Anyone have a take away that they would like to share ? I'd love to read it.

Spot of Paradigm Glue

This is a follow up to Sir Ken Robinson's animated talk that we watched a few months ago .. enjoy.

http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html

Lower Elem. Classroom Immersion

rememberings from the 2011 Charlotte Mason Educational Conference held at Gardner Webb in North Carolina -

What I learned from Nicolle Hutchinson's Lower Level Classroom Immersion Group, covering grades one to three, I want to share. I am hoping to remember as much as possible, because it was a rich experience I implement every day in our beings and doings.   It may be an awkward narration, but it's my narration anyway. :0)

This did not include kindergarten. Kindergarten looks like nature. stories. play. nature. play. stories. nature. :0) Read Mason's Home Education (volume 1 of her series) to learn specifics of nature. play. stories. in kindergarten.

Nicolle attempted to soften the atmosphere with beautiful books, baskets of things, dried flowers, an antique globe. . .

To begin our time together, she first took us all to the library, wanting to gather everyone together on the floor to read a short poem. (she mentioned that in a home school setting this might be a verse or two instead) What I remember is that nobody's answer was wrong. When there were children talking, instead of managing them she asked if they wanted to share or if they were ready to read more. She asked very basic questions like, "what did you hear? can you think of a small animal?", and instead of each time everyone just sharing their answer, she had us share with a partner and then share what our partner said. *nice listening development.

For math she grouped pencils by a rubberband and held up the sets of pencils as if they were her fingers, so she would have 3 groups of 3 pencils each. At one point she put them on her fingers, which brought chuckles. We did drill, which was nice to see, because I wondered how Charlotte Mason would teach math facts.

We sat on the floor again to read a portion of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. We each took turns reading, then she had us turn the book over, narrate, the next child read, we turned our books over, and we narrated. . .

For geography, we had a 30 second picture study. We read and narrated a couple paragraphs. We re-looked at the picture we studied earlier, as it accompanied the reading, and then she had sand trays where we created what we had learned. The topic was landforms such as lakes, mountains, inlets, . . . then we read and narrated about islands . . . proceeded to create islands in our sand. Very nice mix of it all.

Nicolle talked about occasionally drawing narration in place of speaking it and the parent writing it. I believe narration is primarily verbal and transcribed until 4th grade.

In processing the experience as a group, quite a few people commented on the lack of praise. Some felt freed by it. Others felt like it gave them courage to share. Nicolle encouraged us to note that praise can stop the learning. When a child feels he/she has satisfied the teacher with his/her knowledge or length of oration, he/she may stop receiving.

Types of activities that get their own notebooks:
*copywork
*handwriting
*narration journal
**maybe someone can comment and share distinguishing characteristics between these three activities. I'm having a difficult time pulling them each apart from one another.

Anyone else who was at this immersion session, please share your own take-aways. It was such a full time.

Marissa, you had received some wisdom in the math session concerning right and wrong answers not necessarily being corrected. I appreciated the wisdom in the approach. Would you be willing to share a bit about that piece of your session? or perhaps you are already planning to and I'm jumping the gun.

For everyone who was there, the sooner you find 10 minutes to share what you learned, the more you'll remember. Time passes . . .

CM co-op

I'm very interested in co-op idea although I'm not sure how it would work, what you are picturing, etc. But every other week feels much more do-able than weekly.

Practicing Narration

Today we went to library and my son picked out several books on trains. They were of the encyclopedic type and I found myself wishing for a living book about trains. Suddenly, I had a little brainstorm that we could make up our own "living book" as though we were a train and "narrate" it to each other. So my kids have been Thomas the Train and Percy for a few hours, telling me how they are steam locomotives, how they work, and what they do all day. We looked up a few details in the library book to help us out but everything else was what they remember from various sources.

Blog Guidelines

Hello, friends!  I have opened up the permissions (I think) for you all to be able to post to this blog, so go for it!  Just a few guidelines, though, before we really dig in. 

First, please give any authors/presenters due credit for their work or ideas.  It's the right thing to do.

Second, by allowing ALL of you to become "authors" of this blog, there is no longer an official "moderator."  Janet and I, however, will continue to have administrator permissions.

Lastly, a word about blog content.  While I'm sure that everyone here seeks to honor the Lord with their postings, we can all get off track sometimes.  Obviously, we want your postings to be "family-friendly."  Pretend your kids are reading it (because maybe some of them are).  Also...we'd like to make sure that we discuss all things Charlotte Mason - but nothing else!  If you are selling something, if you have a complaint, if you are angry at another group member, if you want to discuss something personal in nature - this is not the proper forum for that purpose.  Perhaps you've just written a brilliant piece about another topic in your own personal blog - great!  Link to it; some of us would love to see it.  But maybe some wouldn't, so please don't put it here.

If you are experiencing problems with this blog, posting, reading, permissions, etc - please email me at mauratimko@hotmail.com.  I'll do my best to correct it.  Thanks for bearing with me - this blog, and myself, are works in progress for the glory of the Lord. :)    Bless you all - happy posting!

Nature Journaling

Hasn't this past week been great for getting out and enjoying nature? I treasure each day that we have like this because I know it won't be long before the hot, humid weather will be upon us! I was just looking at Ann Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study this afternoon and was marveling over her description of the milkweed. I have planted it in my yard in hopes of attracting butterflies and after reading her observations it made me appreciate the flower all the more.

A posting from Cheryl Pfeiffer...

Thanks, Maura and Janet. So excited to just soak and let the kids soak in the goodness of simplicity this summer. Sweet E(3) and I were working together on a puzzle this evening, and she became frustrated with a piece not fitting. As I set a different piece in, without skipping a beat, I replied, "Just try a different one and come back to it." Yea for soaking in simple truths and them just flowing out at the proper time. *apples of gold in settings of silver.* Thank You, God. What could have potentially been an emotional fiasco or a "Momma will do it for you" moment was a very simple moment in learning how to live peaceably with our selves, limitations and all. Ahhhh. Wings for our children.